Breaking the Code of Food Labels

In 1994, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) changed its requirements for food labels on
almost all packaged foods. The labels now have a more uniform
appearance and, once understood, can be a very useful tool for
the individual concerned about fat and cholesterol, fiber,
calories, or sodium intake.

One of the most basic modifications
concerns portion size. While portion size was once left to the
manufacturers discretion, the FDA has redefined it as the
amount that an individual actually consumes; it must also be
expressed in standard household and metric measure (cups,
teaspoons, liters, ounces, etc.) These changes help the consumer
to comparison shop, both nutritionally and economically: one can
determine how many servings are really in each package, as well
as identify the nutritional value of each "real"
serving.

Another style change with benefit for
health-conscious consumers is the expression of calorie content,
with breakdown by grams of fat, protein and carbohydrates.

A QUICK REVIEW:

Fat grams have a nutritional value of 9
calories each, while proteins and carbohydrates each carry a
nutritional value of 4 calories. Therefore, if an item has 5
grams of fat, then 45 of its total calories are from fat.

FDA RECOMMENDED CALORIE INTAKE:

This is particularly useful when one is
concerned about the overall percentage of fat in ones diet.
The FDA presents two recommended calorie intake levels, each with
a guideline of 30% of total intake from fat calories: for a
female adult the level is 2,000 calories per day, and 600 fat
calories, or less than 65 grams of fat. For a male adult the
level is 2,500 calories per day, with 750 fat calories, or less
than approximately 80 grams of fat. The food labels not only
present the fat grams in each serving, but also designate whether
those fats are derived from saturated or unsaturated sources. A
guideline of 20 grams per day of saturated fat is recommended (25
grams for a 2,500-calorie intake).

CALCULATING FAT CALORIES:

The guideline of 30 percent of calories
from fat can be more easily understood using the new labels: If a
slice of bread has 90 calories, and includes 3 grams of fat, then
it exactly fits the guideline fat level of 30%. See calculation
below:

3 grams fat x 9 calories/fat gram =
27 fat calories in serving

27/90 = 30% of calories in the
serving are from fat

Note: the guideline of 30% applies to
the overall diet, not to every individual food; grains, fruits
and vegetables should contain less than 30% fat, to be
counterbalanced by fattier foods in the dairy, meat, fish,
poultry and fatty food groups.

Another example of how to calculate
percentage of fat: a "premium" ice cream, with a
portion size of ½ cup, has 220 calories and 16 grams of fat. The
calculations follow:

16 grams fat x 9 calories/fat gram =
144 calories in serving

144/220 = 65% of calories in the
serving are from fat

This allows one to adjust perspective on
portion size. A portion size with "only" 220 calories
could still involve a high consumption of fat.

SODIUM, CHOLESTEROL, AND
VITAMINS:

Other specific food label information
can be useful to those with dietary restrictions. Sodium content
is presented, along with the portions percentage of the
FDA's recommended daily guideline of 2,400 milligrams.

Cholesterol amount per serving is also
presented on the label, with its percentage of the overall FDA
recommended daily intake of 300 milligrams.

Vitamin and mineral information is
usually available, although it is not extensive. The
products level of vitamins A, C, calcium and iron are
generally available on each label, and if a food offers
particular benefit in another area (e.g., vitamin E) it is
usually presented as well. Fiber content is also listed, for
those concerned about getting more fiber into their diet: the
daily reference value is 25 grams. Finally, ingredient
declarations are now required, and food additives must be
explicitly listed on the label, as some people have specific food
allergies and should carefully monitor products for unexpected
ingredients (e.g. color additives and caseinate, a milk
derivative used in "non-dairy" products).

LOW-FAT CLAIMS

These guidelines offer obvious benefits
to the consumer, and are paralleled by the FDAs monitoring
of advertising claims by food manufacturers as to the healthiness
of their products, such as "light" or "reduced
fat". A self-proclaimed "low-fat" product must
meet guidelines as presented by the FDA (less than 3 grams per
serving) and the consumer can monitor just how "low"
the fat content is by checking the value on the label. Beware:
products that were always high in carbohydrates/sugars (e.g. hard
candies, pasta, breads) are now touting themselves as
"low-fat" and "low-cholesterol"; this does
not mean that the products are inherently healthy.